From Ross
How does one find a direction, a road map, to satisfy a desire to make things and live a creative life? In my own search, I evolved into becoming a furnituremaker in a gradual way. Growing up I had a natural talent for drawing and making things but never really pursued them in any organized way.
As a young adult following my interests in art and sculpture, I happened upon the work and philosophy of the painter and stone sculptor James Washington Jr. I was fascinated by spiritual themes and symbols in his work, and the way he related his artistic statements to living. Washington stated that everyone had at least one major talent within themselves waiting to be released; and when you recognized and developed that talent, you would find your direction in life. He also described a “creative force”, an energy within that if possessed could be “injected into the subject matter to make it come alive”. He went on to say that any good piece of art must contain this quality.
Not long after that I simultaneously stumbled upon a magazine article about the British furnituremaker Edward Barnsley, and a book titled A Cabinetmaker’s Notebook by James Krenov. I was completely floored by these two things, I never knew furniture such as this even existed. I didn’t know at the time I was looking at some of the best of what is known as studio furniture; objects that are hand crafted in a small shop environment, not factory made. Notebook had not a word about how to make something, it was all about the why of it. I was attracted
to Krenov’s writings and message as strongly as I had earlier been to Washington’s. I saw parallels between their work as they were both infused with what went beyond simply making something, they were both creating and bringing to life objects with the force Washington had described. Krenov also spoke of integrity; the importance of developing an approach to making things that contained a personal relationship between the maker and wood, tools, methods of work, and intuition. He asserted this relationship was vital to doing good work. I felt like I had found the bridge between art and craft, and the hooks were in me.
I went on to study with James Krenov at the College of the Redwoods. From my years of self-searching I was ripe for the experience and soaked up everything to be learned there like a sponge. It was all truly inspiring, and I returned to Seattle to begin furniture making full time.
Over time I have taken the things I have learned, and continue to learn, and form them into an individual approach. An early and continuing influence are the salient points and similarities between the Japanese and Scandinavian design aesthetic. The objective is to fuse function, form, materials, and method in a personal way to move the work beyond a process that is merely mechanical; into something that blends both mastery of design elements and technical skills to make the work come alive. Important is an appreciation of, and respect for, the beauty and use of natural materials. Add in interesting details and hand cut joinery where appropriate. The result is a merger between design, materials, machine and hand skills. A developed design eye and hands can do what the machine cannot. Blended with imagination – that is the sweet spot.
In every project the approach is uncompromising. Utilizing clean lines and definitive, well thought out forms that communicate a feeling of simplicity, lightness, and strength I work to produce something that industry or an industrial approach cannot. You can be assured of furniture that that is special aesthetically, technically, in materials, and construction. This can best be summed up in the word quality.